1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rescue apparatus and, in particular, a tempered impact punch to aid law enforcement, fire departments, and first aid officials in shattering tempered glass from an automobile in order to rescue the occupants combined in a flashlight or nightstick.
2. Background of the Invention
Law enforcement, fire department, and first aid personnel, such as emergency squad members, are many times faced with a situation in which an individual or occupant of an automobile is trapped within the automobile and the only manner in which the individual or occupant can be removed is to shatter the tempered glass of the side, rear or wing windows of the automobile. The breaking of tempered glass windows is not as easily accomplished as one might think. Further, situations in which the vehicle is found can further complicate the ability to shatter the window and rescue the occupant. For example, oftentimes, the automobile will be partially or fully submerged and it would be extremely difficult for an individual to shatter the window with a nightstick, tire iron or the like while standing chest-high in water or below the surface. Further, even standing on dry land, it is not always an easily accomplished task. Still further, when using a mechanical device to shatter the tempered glass of the vehicle, by utilizing a stance in which the individual swings a heavy, hard object against the tempered glass window, shattering does take place, with the shattered tempered glass spraying inwardly, and the hard object continuing into the confines of the vehicle, thus presenting potential harm or further injury to the occupants. Further, the rescuer's hand is in close proximity to the broken glass and most times will suffer cut skin.
Tempered glass is most effectively broken or shattered when it is subjected to a pin point force. In the machinist and mechanic's trade, there are spring-loaded punches utilized by machinists and mechanics to mark pieces of steel or metal for drilling. These types of punches would be suitable for shattering tempered glass in the situations enumerated above. However, these punches are the size of a pencil or pen. They are oftentimes misplaced or mislaid and are not readily available in an emergency situation when seconds count. Applicant has developed a punch assembly which replaces the end cap on a standard policemen, firemen, or emergency squad members flashlight or can be incorporated in the end of a nightstick/baton. In law enforcement vehicles and emergency vehicles, such as emergency squad vehicles and fire trucks, a flashlight or a nightstick/baton is a necessary tool and is normally located in a designated location in the vehicle and constitutes a check-off item by the officer or squad member utilizing the vehicle on their shift. In other words, the flashlight or nightstick/baton must be accounted for at the beginning and/or end of the shift. As such, the operator of the vehicle knows the exact location of the flashlight or nightstick/baton in case it is needed in an emergency. By combining a punch assembly with the flashlight or nightstick/baton, the law enforcement officer or rescue squad officer would now automatically know the location of a device which could be utilized in shattering the tempered glass of an automobile in order to immediately provide aid to the occupants.
Applicant's apparatus replaces the end cap of the flashlight with an assembly which maintains the necessary contact on the batteries of the flashlight for operation of the flashlight, yet provides a novel mechanical assembly which the user may utilize by reversing the end of the flashlight and placing it against the tempered glass to be shattered and pressing inward or forward as will be explained in detail in the specification hereafter. It can also be incorporated onto one end of a nightstick/baton.